PhD in International Master's Program in Japanese Humanities

At Kyushu University, tuition is 3,372 USD per year.

Kyushu University offers a doctoral track within the International Master's Program in Japanese Humanities framework, a three-year course taught in English that begins each October. Kyushu University was originally founded in 1911 as one of Japan's seven imperial universities and has since trained educators, researchers, and medical practitioners who have contributed to society in Japan and beyond. The university is organized into 12 undergraduate and 18 graduate schools, alongside a university hospital and several research centers, and offers 66 international degree programs taught in English, hosting students and researchers from more than 90 countries. Japanese humanities as a field of study covers areas such as Japanese literature, history, philosophy, religion, linguistics, and cultural studies, often approached through close reading of primary texts alongside historical and theoretical analysis. Doctoral research in this field typically involves an original dissertation project developed under faculty supervision, drawing on textual analysis, archival research, and disciplinary methods appropriate to the chosen humanities subfield, along with coursework that deepens expertise in relevant theoretical and historical frameworks. Doctoral graduates in Japanese humanities commonly pursue academic careers as university faculty and researchers, or move into roles in cultural institutions, publishing, translation, and organizations requiring specialized expertise in Japanese language, literature, and history. Three years of doctoral study give students time to complete an original research project, contribute to scholarship in their chosen subfield, and build the depth of expertise expected for academic and research careers connected to Japan. Kyushu University's scale as a comprehensive research university and its history as an imperial university provide institutional depth for humanities scholarship within this program.